The setting of priorities to guide countries’ health research agendas was already highlighted by the Commision on Health Research in 1990 as an action point within the Essential National Health Research (ENHR) strategy. Since then, many developing countries have set priorities, held workshops and consultations and developed lists to define the directions their health research agendas should take. Today there is a realisation amoung many research managers that more effort is needed so that research priorities can move into policy impact. Ideally, the intial priority setting should not be seen as an event, but an ongoing process – one that is owned and valued by all the players in the research system.